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The Phoenix is one of my totems in life and I completely identify with being reborn from the ashes of the past. It is fierce, bursting into life with determination, grace, fire and beauty. It is magical and knows the power of beginning.

When I was younger, my beginnings were sooooo messy! Mostly because I experienced some very scary changes that lead to some very long stretches of me not being safe physically or emotionally. So! I started to associate beginnings with fear and went into new things either kicking and screaming or diving in with out looking around to see if there was any water to dive into. I dove into some deep empty wells in my younger years! And with those experiences building a repertoire in my psyche, I found myself floundering; bouncing here and there and everywhere. I always felt like I would just fly off into space.

What brought me back into my body was a natural fierceness that I had always held, but, had pushed way, way down. When I was younger, that fierceness of life startled and even frightened people. I didn’t know how to contain it and the energy bounded around aimlessly. Slowly, over time, I have come back to the Knowing that there is No containing the fierceness. But, there is a directing /harnessing of it that brings an easy rebirth. A focused and Knowing rebirth.

One of the ways I came into this understanding was listening to Carolyn Myss’s Energy Anatomy. I know almost nothing of religion, have never read the bible and I knew only one version of Christ’s life story. Then I heard Carolyn’s interpretation of the resurrection and it made my heart sing. I saw where I experienced my own crucifixion/resurrection in life. I instantly understood that I must choose which aspect of the Christ energy to focused on. I choose resurrection ~ Every Time.

Life is one continual rebirth/resurrection after another and I am grateful to have the gift of choice to celebrate the Rise…xoK

“Food, glorious, food…” is one of my favorite songs from the musical Oliver and I sang it to my kids when they were little and hangin’ with me in the kitchen.

Who doesn’t love yummy, amazing food?

But! what happens when that yummy, amazing food isn’t really good for us or we don’t even know that it’s not good for us? Well, now we get to the meat of why eating can be very emotional. And that is why it was so great having Sheree Druskin and Caren Laboyof The Nutritious Moms to chat with on GVK! Both were educated at the IIN ~ Institute for Ingegrative Nutrition ~ and have taken that education out into the world to wake us up about our food intake.

We talked about alternatives to sugar (coconut sugar ~ who knew!??) and what organic means once it has been shipped around the world. The Nutritious Moms started because their children were getting waaaaay to much sugar at school. Sheree and Caren realized that food education was in need & not just for the children, but also, for the adults.

One thing for sure, is that the problem starts with the adults. A girlfriend of mine tried to get sugar parties taken out of her school system. Her daughter was coming home and having huge emotional sugar crashes and couldn’t focus because every day it was someone’s birthday party. When she brought this issue up for awareness she was literally shunnedand castigated by the fellow parents! Geesh! That gives us a clue as to how emotional food is for us. And for me,

I need to be vigilant about what I am putting in my mouth and why

Slowly, over time, I’ve learned a lot about nutrition. I know now what my body needs and what it doesn’t. I have also learned that sometimes, even though I know that something isn’t great for me, I eat it anyway. Sigh. But the consequences no longer feel worth it. When I am mindful about my food, I am clear, focused and unruffled. I am living my Higher Self. And that feeling/being has become more important than covering up an uncomfortable feeling or running from my ego fears…

It was so refreshing to chat withEsther Bertram on GVK! She brings such rich thoughts and tools to the table to help us create a bridge from the subconscious to the conscious mind. Creative visualization is one of the more powerful tools she discusses with us. She uses this tool to tap into the creative realm and co~create her reality. One of my “bibles” when I began my spiritual quest wasCreative Visualization by Skakti Gawain. I practiced at every free moment until it became second nature for me to “see” and create my life.

Esther’s desire to awaken humanity to it’s life creating powers has lead her to write an amazing augmented reality book. It follows a vegan orphan rock star andsoul warrior, named November Fox, who travels dimensions of time and consciousness to unlock the cube of self. Wow, talk about bridging the sub with the con of the mind!

for the longest time I didn’t even know that I had one! Then when I did find out about it I started to fight with it. Today I move very differently ~

today I am at peace with my subconscious.

I came to understand that the information that my subconscious gives me is ancient. Whether it’s ancient from my childhood or ancient from a past life, it was placed there long ago in situations that no longer resonate with my life. It was meant to protect me and I don’t need protection like that anymore. I’m no longer a child I do not live in the past life.

I co~create and manifest my life consciously today but before I could do that, I had understand what my subconscious was telling me. And so I had to build that bridge that Megan and I talk about with Esther. It takes practice, but, now I can ask myself, and

get a clear Divine answer

“is this feeling from the past?” “does this reaction have to do with the present?” “how am I truly feeling?” In the quiet, the Spirit world will always answer. Sometimes the answer comes with resounding power, but, most of the time, it is the small still voice from within that holds the key to Truth…

To work in the paradigm of giant corporations is no easy task. But, to then work to raise the consciousness of those corporations and move them into mindful behavior toward our earth takes a superhero. And that is where Michael Green, executive director of the Center for Environmental Health, comes in.

Superhero environmentalist by day, mild-mannered husband and father by night ~ Michael Green may perform his identities in reverse of Superman but make no mistake about it, he is Superman ~ for our Mother Earth. Not only did Michael work with the Dalai Lama, but, he also brings corporations to task on harmful chemical use to ensure a healthy environment for all to live and thrive in.

to learn more about Michael Green and how the Center for Environmental Health makes your world a safer, cleaner place to live in, please follow the embedded link below

Working to raise the consciousness of people around the importance of a clean environment takes courage and perseverance. Not getting discouraged in the face of all that we have to clean up on this earth definitely takes superhuman effort! As I drive around New Jersey and see the clear cutting of our forests to create another estate, I feel despair. The wildlife in our state have no where to go and nothing to eat as we build and build and build. New hunting allowances go into effect to take care of the animals that “encroach” on the houses that used to be the wildlife’s home and feeding grounds. Garbage floats around the streets and people walk around it. Sigh. When will we understand the importance of taking care of our planet? Even though I pick up the garbage, I sometimes think, ‘I am only one person, does it even matter that I pick this up’? But, it does matter. Michael Green reminds me that it does. He told Megan and I that working with the Dalai Lama helped him not become so attached to the outcome. For those of us who don’t have that honor, how do we get there to that place?

I often reread this interview with Martin Luther King Jr, when I feel down or fearful ~

Dr. King’s strength, passion and determination remind me that one person can change the world for the better. And so I will continue to pick up the garbage, and I am hoping that all of you are doing the same. Whether we pick up floating garbage, are mindful about the products that we wash our dishes & clothing with, support organic farming or are full time environmentalists we are raising the consciousness around how to be in and treat our Earth. And every action in the vibration of mindfulness counts. And I find that the more aware people are, the more they want to be a part of the solution. We can not become enlightened until we are illumed ~So, Thank You Michael Green for raising the consciousness of the industrial world and for being a hero to our Earth…

“A spiritual discipline is designed to release control to the ego so the ‘Light behind the mind’ can come into focus. This is the silence of the ages that gives us rest. This is where we meet God.”A clear statement by Lauren Artress, author of Walking a Sacred Path, about the Divinity of the labyrinth.

I have experienced the power the labyrinth ~ the silent weaving in and out, the magic of Divinity coming through. I hold it to be a holy experience. So it was a treat beyond treat to walk on the labyrinth at Jeannette Howards home! Wow! to have a labyrinth at your house, to have the opportunity to marry together heaven and earth in your own backyard!

I can not express strongly enough how important it is to bring ourselves into a quiet space to receive. It is in that space that we can let go of our ego desires, our grievances, our fears and receive an essence of the bigger picture.

A few weeks back, I was having a floor sanded and refinished. A miscommunication happened and the young man in charge of the job made a mistake. I became exasperated. But, not because of the mistake, but, because I was exhausted, in terrible physical pain and behind in my work. I went outside and worked in my garden a bit. Being so connected with the Earth calmed me, brought me back to balance and reminded me of what truly matters. I went back into the house and apologized, baked homemade cookies and made peace with the young man. He was so happy to have the cookies, but, also to not have been made wrong. I said to him “it is just a floor. It’s not world peace that we are trying to achieve here, it’s a floor…” We both laughed, the fissure was closed and harmony was restored.

To learn more about what we talked and to reach out to Jeannette follow the embedded links above and here

Everybody talks about a healthy, strong, toned body, but, what about our brains? In Greg Crawford’s book, The Brain Detox Diet, he addresses the very thing most people neglect when shifting into better physical health ~ your brain. He tackles the aspects of our thought process that keep us in stuck bad habits and negative thinking, which can lead to poor physical fitness. Greg is the owner of My Training Gym in Morristown, NJ and he knows fitness!

Fitness as a total soul concept is often overlooked. Our bodies are the houses for our souls. Therefore, our body is, indeed, a sacred temple. For so long, I did not understand this. I treated my body like a thing to do what I told it to do. And I was always pretty lucky in that regard. I was a ballet dancer and gymnast until my mid twenties. Then I became a runner with weight training thrown in. I have exercised, in some form or another at least five days a week for most of my life. I thought I was doing all the right things to keep my body strong and healthy.

And then the day came that my body did not respond the way it always had, and frankly, I was a bit lost about it all. My body had changed with the birth of my two children and while I was still in good shape, I couldn’t sustain the same exercise regime. Not being able to do what I was accustomed to left me feeling very blue and I discovered a host of unhealthy thoughts had been living inside my brain just bursting to get out and take hold of me. That was when I realized that my brain had as much power as my body and it was time to trim it down and tone it up!

I’ve had to reprogram my thinking. It was crazy what was whirling around in my head! One minute I heard that I was a loser because I couldn’t do as many sit ups as I used to and the next minute a voice would snidely talk to me about being too sexy for a mother. Geesh! All those negative messages that I received as a girl and into my adulthood needed to go! I had to learn to love my body and it’s new changes and stop judging myself. I realized that I had grown up with mixed messages about body image and I couldn’t run from the damage it had quietly caused me my whole life. I had already shifted so much of the negativity surrounding me, but, now it was time to detox my brain and shift what was hiding inside of me…

We have been looking for answers in the stars for as long as we have been able to look up. Luckily for us, we have astrologers and astronomers to help us understand the messages that are there! In this podcast, John Wessels, Master Astrologer will give us dates to pay attention to and what we can expect during these times for the month of June.

When my son, Landon, was a baby, I went to a Master Astrologer for a reading. At the time, Jeff, Landon and I were living in a small town outside of Boston, MA. She told me many things and all of it rang true, accept this one piece. She told me that we would be moving at the end of October because Jeff was getting a new job. I told her that she was mistaken. After all, we had moved back to Boston from Brooklyn, NY, only two years ago so that Jeff could stay with the firm he had been telecommuting for. He had been with this firm for 12 years, loved his job and had no intention of leaving. Besides it was September and I couldn’t see how anything that big would happen that fast. The astrologer smiled and said, “Well, your chart says otherwise”.

A week later Jeff came home from work with what he said was “interesting news”. A firm in NJ had reached out to him for an interview ~ could he come immediately? My jaw dropped. I said “Well, I guess we are moving to NJ.” Jeff laughed and said, no, no. But, funnily enough, he had seen the ad for that job in the Wall Street Journal a month before and while it looked really interesting, he wasn’t in need of a job and so he recycled the paper and went about his day. But, now, his interest was piqued and he wanted to go for the sake of going. Well he had 3 interviews within two weeks, was offered and accepted the job before the end of October! We sold our house in one day and Jeff went on ahead of me while I finished up a play that I was performing in.

I was a believer before that day, but, that experience brought the planets, moon and stars into my orbit like never before…

Ok GVKers! here it is ~ the 7 chakras. I promise you that toning all seven chakras regularly will improve your life on every level. Your connection to the Divine will deepen, your psychic abilities will expand and your sense of well being will broaden. Keep this podcast in your tool kit for balancing and shifting the energy in your life to a more positive and Knowing place.

When we are balanced, we can receive, with clarity, the Divine messages that surround us. Accessing our Divine Selves brings us into a place of Knowing and Knowing pushes out the fear. I hear so many conversations centered in fear and negativity ~ global warming, poverty, animal abuse, Earth abuse. Sigh. Believe me, I get it! I live on this Earth and I am well aware of the challenges we are facing as a human race. But, lets be honest, if I focus on that, then I seriously would not even get out of bed in the morning. I must remain focused on my Divine Self to institute positive change.

My kids will tell you that my favorite saying, and I Live by this, is ~ if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Period. It is truly that simple. Stay balanced and create positive change. Pick up the garbage you see on the ground, plant a tree, stop using pesticides on your lawn and garden, volunteer in your town, smile at people, learn something about a different culture (especially one that scares you). How to effect positive change is endless. Balance, tap in and vibrate it out to be the beacon of Light you came here to be…

Noelle Izzi’s quest is to bring awareness to her beautifully coined expression ~”spiritual pollination“. Megan and I were excited by the term and it’s implication for raising the vibration of our life experiences and more profoundly, our Earth. Spiritual pollination is about what energy we put out into the world. By putting positive energy, thought and action out, we create a world of Divine balance ~ the same kind of balance that we see, and experience in Nature.

Noelle had a beautiful experience with a hummingbird that changed her perspective and turned her world around. The hummingbird was brought in by the Divine to pollinate a message of Joy. The Native Americans believe that the hummingbird feathers open the heart. Without an open heart, we can not experience the beauty and bliss of life. Hummingbird is a bird of true Joy. This bird is the only one who can fly up, down and in each direction, It can also seem as though it is literally hanging still in the air. Hummingbird, though teeny tiny, is a powerful pollinator. Because of it’s free spirit, it can not live in captivity.

We talked briefly about Dr. Masaru Emoto ~ the world renown scientist, who proved that words, written or spoken, will change how water crystals form. Beautiful music and words spoken to water or even written on a glass of water creates beautiful crystal formations in the water that can be witnessed after it isfrozen. Negative words spoken into or taped onto the glass of water created deformed and imbalanced crystals.

Follow the link below to get more information and be astounded by what vibrations a word will create in water. Then take that a step further to understand the impact that you have every day with EVERY word you speak and think…

Oh yes, sex is definitely connected to our second chakra! But there is so much more at play here~this chakra sits in the lower abdomen, the color associatedwith it isorange, and the element is water. When this chakra is balanced, we have grace, depth of feeling, sexual fulfillment and the ability to accept change. It connects us to others through feelings, desire, sensation and movement. Think of a flowing river moving with ease.

If this chakra is out of balance, we may experience issues with our skin, reproductive organs, kidneys, bladder, circulatory system, lymphatic system and adrenal system and, sexual performance will be effected in a negative manner.

Having this chakra spinning with ease is the key to achieving our desires. And desire covers more than sex ~ it is literally our hopes and dreams. My hopes and dreams always include the Earth as a whole. Yes, I have desires for my own personal self, my children, my husband and friends, but, I dream as Big as possible for the World at large. A peaceful and loving coexistence with our fellows, a clean and honored Earth, a clear and powerful connection with the Divine for all. Those are my big dreams and I need my second chakra in perfect balance to help achieve those dreams…

We talked about ~ Ravi VarmaLakshmi ~ the Hindu Goddess of wealth, prosperity (both material and spiritual), fortune, and the embodiment of beauty.